Origin: Egypt Circa: 2040 BC to 1640 BC Dimensions: 2.15" (5.5cm) high x 4.6" (11.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle Kingdom Medium: Faience This faience  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2040 BC to 1640 BC Dimensions: 2.15" (5.5cm) high x 4.6" (11.7cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle Kingdom Medium: Faience This faience hippopotamus belongs to a group of statuettes found in large numbers in Egyptian tombs of the Middle Kingdom period. The black line drawings represent flowers, plants and insects native to the Nile Region. Often shown standing or striding forward, this example is unusual for its seated and almost docile pose. The animal is fashioned as though lying on the banks of the Nile with its legs tucked beneath the body and the head lowered as if to graze. The symbolism of the hippopotamus in ancient Egypt was ambiguous. Known for their aggression, these animals were a threat to crops and people. As a force of destruction they were often associated with the evil god Seth. One of Egypt’s earliest kings was believed to have been killed by a hippopotamus and many temple walls depicted the god Horus hunting them with a harpoon. In the Old and New Kingdoms court officials had themselves depicted on tomb walls engaged in the same activity. The faience examples discovered during recorded excavations were often placed behind the mummy’s back or below the feet. Many of the standing statuettes had their legs deliberately broken before burial. This has been interpreted as an attempt to render evil spirits harmless. However they were also associated with fertility and rebirth. The composite goddess Tawaret, for example, was believed to protect women during pregnancy. The use of faience also suggests that the figurine was used to achieve rebirth in the afterlife. Faience, or ‘tjehnet’, literally means ‘what is gleaming’ and was associated with the light of the sun, moon and stars. Grave goods such as ushabtis or amulets were made from this material in the belief that this would help impart life to the dead.   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2050 BC to 1786 BC Dimensions: 7" (17.8cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle Kingdom Medium: Terracotta This delicate cylindrical vessel  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 2050 BC to 1786 BC Dimensions: 7" (17.8cm) high Collection: Egyptian Style: Middle Kingdom Medium: Terracotta This delicate cylindrical vessel belongs to a type of pottery that was produced as early as the pre- dynastic period (c. 4000-3000 BC). Fashioned from local clay, the surfaces were burnished with stones and either left in their natural state or covered with a thin layer of pigment. The two- toned effect was produced by up-ending the pot in a layer of slow-burning coals. The lack of oxygen had the effect of carbonising the surface and blackening the clay. By the Middle Kingdom period, to which this piece dates, the same effect was created by painting the upper section with a band of black slip. The vessel tapers to a point and was probably used to hold liquids, perhaps wine or oils. Such items were often placed in tombs as part of the funerary paraphernalia. (AM) - (SK.028 )   « Less

Origin: Israel Circa: 1500 BC to 1250 BC Dimensions: 6.29" (16.0cm) high x 6.49" (16.5cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Late Bronze Age Medium: Terracotta

Origin: Israel Circa: 1500 BC to 1250 BC Dimensions: 6.29" (16.0cm) high x 6.49" (16.5cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Late Bronze Age Medium: Terracotta   « Less

Middle Kingdom Alabaster Jar - CK.0194 Origin: Egypt Circa: 2200 BC to 1800 BC Dimensions: 1.75" (4.4cm) high x 1.675" (4.3cm) wide Collection: Egyptian  More »

Middle Kingdom Alabaster Jar - CK.0194 Origin: Egypt Circa: 2200 BC to 1800 BC Dimensions: 1.75" (4.4cm) high x 1.675" (4.3cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: Middle Kingdom Medium: Alabaster   « Less

Origin: Hebron, Judean Hills Circa: 1500 BC to 1250 BC Dimensions: 2.2" (5.6cm) high x 7.50" (19.1cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Late Bronze Age Medium:  More »

Origin: Hebron, Judean Hills Circa: 1500 BC to 1250 BC Dimensions: 2.2" (5.6cm) high x 7.50" (19.1cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Late Bronze Age Medium: Terracotta   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Dimensions: 1" (2.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Glass Throughout history, in almost every ancient  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Dimensions: 1" (2.5cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Glass Throughout history, in almost every ancient culture, the spindle whorl has been a common domestic object. Elegant and abstract, these little objects were used to weight wool while it was being spun into thread. Common to most every civilization, these charming weights were often buried as a grave gift with their owners. Though their shape tended to remain uniform, spindle whorls can be found in a variety of materials including stone, bronze, gold, glass and bone. In the classical world, even the most respectable women carded and spun wool; it was considered the duty of a good matron. Spindle whorls are still used today in parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. We can imagine this whorl dancing through the fingers of a beautiful woman as she laughed and gossiped with her friends. From such an artifact, handled on a daily basis by an ancient life, we are placed in intimate touch with a vanished age. - (GF.0294)   « Less

Origin: Hebron, Judean Hills Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high x 4.5" (11.4cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Middle Bronze Age II Medium:  More »

Origin: Hebron, Judean Hills Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 2" (5.1cm) high x 4.5" (11.4cm) wide Collection: Biblical Antiquities Style: Middle Bronze Age II Medium: Terracotta   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Throughout history, in almost every  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1100 BC Dimensions: 1.25" (3.2cm) wide Collection: Egyptian Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience Throughout history, in almost every ancient culture, the spindle whorl has been a common domestic object. Elegant and abstract, these little objects were used to weight wool while it was being spun into thread. Known to most every civilization, these charming weights were often buried as a grave gift with their owners. Though their shape tended to remain uniform, spindle whorls can be found in a variety of materials including stone, bronze, gold, glass and bone. In the classical world, even the most respectable women carded and spun wool; it was considered the duty of a good matron. Spindle whorls are still used today in parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. We can imagine this whorl dancing through the fingers of a beautiful Egyptian woman as she laughed and gossiped with her friends. From such an artifact, handled on a daily basis by an ancient life, we are place in intimate touch with a vanished age. - (GF.0304)   « Less

Centuries ago, some ancient soldier offered this elegant weapon as a votive to the gods of war. Its graceful arced lines speak of its efficiency as an instrument of war, and  More »

Centuries ago, some ancient soldier offered this elegant weapon as a votive to the gods of war. Its graceful arced lines speak of its efficiency as an instrument of war, and larger versions were certainly used on the battlefields of the ancient Near East. In the time since, far more deadly weapons have evolved, yet this axe head conveys a primal power which stirs age-old instincts in us all. - (FZ.193)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 8.5" (21.6cm) high Catalogue: V6 Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This beautiful  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 1600 BC to 1300 BC Dimensions: 8.5" (21.6cm) high Catalogue: V6 Collection: Egyptian Antiquities Style: New Kingdom Medium: Faience This beautiful Egyptian pilgrim flask epitomizes the ancient Egyptian artist's ability to combine material, form and function in a most aesthetically pleasing way. The handles form two delicately balanced loops that echo the curvilinear lines of the body. The lovely turquoise color has been enhanced over time, at once evidencing a subtle aging process and heightening the complexity of the finish. To own this charming vessel is to carry on a tradition of aesthetic appreciation that began thousands of years ago. - (GF.0309)   « Less